General
Fired ESPN sportscaster Adnan Virk: I’m not a leaker
Andrew Marchand, New York Post
Fired ESPN sportscaster Adnan Virk denies he leaked any confidential or proprietary information that caused his termination. In a statement Virk texted to The Post on Tuesday night, Virk said he and his lawyers are trying to reach a settlement with ESPN.
Wisconsin GOP lawmakers force Colin Kaepernick’s name out of Black History Month resolution
Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
For the second year in a row, some white lawmakers in the state Legislature objected to how black lawmakers want to honor Black History Month — this time because of Colin Kaepernick. The state Assembly passed a resolution Tuesday drafted by the Legislature’s black caucus to honor prominent black Americans during February — but only after Republicans blocked it until black Democratic lawmakers agreed to remove the name of the controversial National Football League quarterback.
NFL
Kliff Kingsbury clarifies Kyler Murray praise, says Josh Rosen ‘is our guy’
John Weinfuss, ESPN
New Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury may have said he liked Kyler Murray in October, but Tuesday he said he’s sticking with Josh Rosen. “Our feelings toward Josh haven’t waned or changed or anything,” Kingsbury said.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown asks Steelers for trade
ESPN
Antonio Brown has officially requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday. The news of Brown’s trade request comes right after the Pro Bowl wide receiver tweeted a farewell to the Steelers and their fans, saying it is “time to move on and forward.”
NBA
NBA says no rules broken in Simmons-Johnson meeting request
The Associated Press
The NBA says Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson did not break any league tampering rules when he spoke about Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons earlier this week.The NBA’s relatively quick-moving investigation was initiated after it was revealed that Simmons wanted to meet with Johnson to talk about the art of being an elite point guard.
Step-back 3 NBA’s new weapon, though not a shot for everyone
Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
James Harden turned to it to become the NBA’s most unstoppable scorer. Luka Doncic has ridden it to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Best Team in the NBA Has a Human Yoga Mat
Ben Cohen, The Wall Street Journal
Among the NBA players this season who have dared to launch the most long 3-pointers are Stephen Curry, James Harden and someone with the proper reaction to the sound of his name in the same breath as Curry and Harden’s. “That’s hilarious,” says Brook Lopez.
Disgruntled AD has just 3 points, Pelicans routed by Magic
Brett Martel, The Associated Press
Anthony Davis doesn’t want to play for New Orleans anymore. In a blowout loss Tuesday night, he noticed his teammates may have felt the same way.
MLB
10 M.L.B. Story Lines to Ponder While Waiting for Free Agents to Sign
Tyler Kepner, The New York Times
Most of baseball’s 30 teams will hold their first official workout for pitchers and catchers on Wednesday. By the middle of next week, position players will join them — without a few well-known faces.
Derek Jeter brings in former Yankees teammate to bolster Marlins front office
Ben Weinrib, Yahoo Sports
Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter has done plenty to remake his new franchise in the image of his former team, the New York Yankees. He brought over Gary Denbo to be their VP of scouting and player development and even traded the reigning NL MVP to New York for prospects.
Ex-Detroit Tigers broadcaster Mario Impemba to join Red Sox, per report
Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press
It seems Mario Impemba has found a new home … with the World Series champions. Impemba, the former longtime Fox Sports Detroit play-by-play voice, is going from watching the rebuilding Detroit Tigers to the Boston Red Sox radio booth, according to a report by the Boston Globe on Tuesday.
NHL
NHL goalies do best to prepare for unexpected, unpredictable
Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press
NHL goaltenders prepare for the unexpected and unpredictable, ready for pucks deflecting off sticks, bodies, feet or even a divot in the ice past all the gear designed to help defend their net. The freaky, fluky or simply weird goals can be laughed off by goalies who know sometimes the puck just takes a funny bounce.
Soccer
MLS cuts ties with rapper Sheck Wes after allegations of domestic assault
Nathan Scott, USA Today
Major League Soccer issued a statement on Tuesday morning that it was removing the rapper Sheck Wes from marketing materials promoting the upcoming 2019 season after the musician was accused of domestic assault. Sheck Wes’ former girlfriend, Justine Skye, wrote a tweet Monday night addressed to Sheck Wes, which said “you beat women” and “you hit your girl before me and you’ll do it again.”
Bundesliga aims to close TV rights gap with Premier League
Murad Ahmed, Financial Times
German football will avoid the “ceiling” for media rights deals hit by the English Premier League, according to the Bundesliga’s chief executive, who revealed record revenues. Christian Seifert said German broadcasters and digital groups were ready to spend greater sums to screen matches for the top division, whose revenues from media rights deals jumped by a third last year to €1.25bn boosted by the start of a four-year €4.6bn domestic television deal with Sky Deutschland and Eurosport.
Barcelona president says La Liga should play three games abroad a year
BBC Sport
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says La Liga should play three games outside of Spain a year. Plans to play Girona’s home fixture against Barcelona last month in Miami were abandoned due to a “lack of consensus”.
Red Bulls Move to Mobile Ticket-Only Entry at Red Bull Arena in 2019
Andrew Cohen, SportTechie
The New York Red Bulls are implementing several new enhancements ahead of the 2019 MLS season, as part of a multi-year initiative to improve the fan experience at Red Bull Arena. New video boards have been installed and the team is putting a greater emphasis on mobile ticketing and cashless payment options.
Racing
Place your bets: NASCAR pushes its chips on sports gambling
Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
Brendan Gaughan is the son of a casino magnate and has long grasped the allure of throwing down a few bucks to wager on a sporting event. Heck, Gaughan once bet on himself in Las Vegas to win the 2004 Daytona 500.
Golf and Tennis
Sergio Garcia apologizes on social media for Saudi incident
Dylan Dethier, Golf.com
A week after a controversial disqualification in Saudi Arabia, Sergio Garcia apologized for his actions in an Instagram post on Monday. Garcia was DQ’d from the Saudi International after he intentionally damaged several greens during Saturday’s round.
Is This the Year Phil Mickelson Wins the U.S. Open?
Brian Costa, The Wall Street Journal
By last summer, Phil Mickelson looked like he had seen enough of the U.S. Open. In his 27th attempt to win the only major title that has eluded him, Mickelson infamously swatted a moving putt in frustration.
College Sports
Mike Krzyzewski addresses Corey Maggette being accused of rape during his time at Duke
Evan Hilbert, USA Today
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on Tuesday addressed Corey Maggette being identified as the unnamed Duke men’s basketball player who allegedly sexually assaulted Meredith Watson. A friend of Watson’s confirmed in an email to USA TODAY Sports on Monday that she had told him that she was raped by Maggette when the two were at the university in 1999.
Esports
Activision Blizzard Lays Off Hundreds Of Employees
Jason Schreier, Kotaku
Publisher Activision Blizzard has begun its long-rumored layoff process, informing employees this afternoon that it will be cutting staff. Rumors suggest that the layoffs could be in the hundreds. This afternoon, the mega-publisher began notifying those who are being laid off across its various organizations, which include Activision, Blizzard, and King.
NBA 2K League Signs Champion as Apparel Provider
Trent Murray, The Esports Observer
The NBA 2K League has signed a multiyear deal with Champion Athleticwear that will see the apparel brand serve as the league’s official outfitter. Champion will provide all 21 teams with uniforms as well as travel, warmup, and practice apparel.
Newzoo estimates esports revenue will eclipse $1 billion this year
Jacob Wolf, ESPN
The esports market is expected to eclipse $1 billion in revenue for the first time in 2019, according to a market report from research firm Newzoo released on Tuesday. The esports industry brought in $865.1 million in revenue in 2018, according to Newzoo, and stands to reach $1.1 billion in 2019 based on the company’s projections.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
As spring training opens, the Nationals have built a team, and Bryce Harper isn’t on one
Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post
Spring training isn’t in the future. It is here.
NBA referees say Bradley Beal didn’t travel. Bradley Beal doesn’t believe them.
Jacob Bogage, The Washington Post
With John Wall out for the rest of this season and at least most of the next, the bulk of the Wizards’ scoring burden has fallen on Bradley Beal, who seems to mind not at all. He’s averaging 27.3 points per game in his past 10 outings.
The NFL deserves cynicism. But Kareem Hunt deserves another chance.
Sally Jenkins, The Washington Post
Giving Kareem Hunt a second chance in the NFL is not just the right thing to do; it’s the only thing to do. The alternative is to designate him incurable, a lost cause at age 23. It’s to say that his character is permanently set, and he’s incapable of making a willful, better choice.
We’re Not Ready to Bury the Kyler Murray–Cardinals Theories Just Yet
Danny Heifetz, The Ringer
Prophecies are often mistaken for coincidences, and this seems to be the fate of the Arizona Cardinals. In October, then–Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury was talking up an opponent, as coaches often do, when he said Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray was so good that he’d take him first overall in the NFL draft if he had the chance.
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